Week 3 – Research Topic and Outline
Assignment Instructions
Research Topic and Outline
The final project for this course is a Research Paper. The first two assignments will help you find the tools needed to prepare and gradually build your final research paper. The research paper for this course will be argumentative. The argumentative research paper requires you to take a position on an issue and support the position with persuasive facts and statements. 
First, select a Research Paper TOPIC that can be assessed using health care economics principles. 
Please choose from the following topics the issue you are going to discuss. 
          A history of Medicare cost containment policies
          Not-for-profit versus for profit
          State children health insurance programs
          Medicare prospective payment program
          Medicare and Medicate dual eligibility
          Health maintenance organizations
          Long-term health care insurance
          The managed care backlash
          Impact of obesity on healthcare costs
          Impact of diabetes on healthcare costs
          Impact of smoking on healthcare costs
          Nursing shortages
          Cost of Pharmaceuticals
 Second, provide your research paper with the following OUTLINE (Your final paper assignment should include a detail explanation of this outline):
a. Introduction -Your introduction should give a brief overview of the topic you are going to discuss. The last sentence of your introduction section should be your thesis statement. Your thesis statement should start with – The purpose of this paper is to…..
b. Body of paper – The body of your paper should organize how you plan to address each required section of the paper. Each supporting item is then broken down into smaller supporting items.
          An overview of the issue
          Why is this issue a concern from a health care economics perspective?
          Who are the major parties involved in this issue?
          Which market forces have an impact on this issue?
          How is demand illustrated in this issue?
          How is supply illustrated in this issue?
          How has the affordable care act impacted this issue?
          How are health disparities demonstrated in this issue?
          How has this issue been improved in other global markets?
          What is your recommendation for making improvements based on economic principles.  
c. Conclusion – The conclusion of your paper should summarize your thesis statement and the supporting items discussed in your paper. In this outline, please indicate what you expect the finding to be.
d. References – Provide list of five (5) bibliographic references (using APA format).  Your final research paper will require seven (7) bibliographic references. (You may use your textbook as a reference and you should have a minimum of 6 academic outside references including 3 peer-reviewed journal articles
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Assignment Instructions:
Please review the Weekly Assignment Grading IRubric prior to submission (Click on View IRubric     in the main Assignment List page).
Assignments are due in the Assignment portion of the classroom by Sunday, 11:55 p.m. EST each week. Make sure you read and understand the directions and requirements for each Assignment. Please ensure you cite your references in APA format with a minimum of 3 references (You may use your textbook as a reference and you should have a minimum of 2 academic outside references).  Assignment will be graded based on the following areas: Foundation and synthesis of knowledge, application of knowledge critical thinking, writing skills, and organization of ideas and format.  Refer to Library Online Resource Center for any research assistance.  Refer to the Student Handbook for policies relevant to academic honesty and other procedures and policies related to this course. Assignments submitted late without advance notice will receive a 5% per day late penalty and will not be accepted for grading five (5) days past the due date.   

Assignment Instructions
Week 8 Assignment: Research Paper
Using the topic you selected and the outline you followed in week 3 assignment, please write a 7-10 page research paper using APA Format.  Your research paper must include an extensive explanation and have a thesis statement.  A thesis statement is a strong statement that you can support with evidence.  The research paper should have a abstract, literature review and discussion (body of the paper addressing the issues listed below), recommendation, a well-defined conclusion, and reference pages.  You must use at least 5 resources. 
Please see the attached template for more information. 
In your paper, you must address the following:
An overview of the issue
Why is this issue a concern from a health care economics perspective?
Who are the major parties involved in this issue?
Which market forces have an impact on this issue?
How is demand illustrated in this issue?
How is supply illustrated in this issue?
How has the affordable care act impacted this issue?
How are health disparities demonstrated in this issue?
How has this issue been improved in other global markets?
What is your recommendation for making improvements based on economic principles.
I strongly suggest that, as part of your research, you take advantage of the university’s online library link.  There are a wide variety of resources there including many full text papers and articles.  Ask the Librarian for help; they will answer your questions and help you find what you need.
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Assignment Instructions:
Please review the Final Paper/Project Grading Rubric prior to submission (Click on View IRubric  in the main Assignment List page). 
Final Paper/Project is due in the Assignment portion of the classroom by Sunday, 11:55 p.m. EST each week. Make sure you read and understand the directions and requirements for each Assignment. Please ensure you cite your references in APA format with a minimum of 5 references (You may use your textbook as a reference and you should have a minimum of 4 academic outside references including 2 peer-reviewed journal articles).  Assignments submitted late without advance notice will receive a 5% per day late penalty and will not be accepted for grading five (5) days past the due date.   
The Final Paper must have a minimum of 10 pages for a Undergraduate level course (excluding the title, abstract, and reference pages). The paper must be typed, double-spaced with 1-inch margins in 12-point Times New Roman font with all references cited.  As always, Wikipedia, Wikianswers, and Answers.com are NOT academic/scholarly sources. Papers will be graded based on the following areas: Foundation and synthesis of knowledge, application of knowledge critical thinking, writing skills, use of computer technology and application, and organization of ideas and format. Refer to Library Online Resource Center for any research assistance. Refer to the Student Handbook for policies relevant to academic honesty and other procedures and policies related to this course.
A Grade Papers = ABOVE COURSE STANDARDS (ACS)
The principle characteristic of the ACS paper is rich content; teaching the reader sentence after sentence, paragraph after paragraph. In composition, it is marked by stylistic finesse: the title and opening paragraph are engaging; the transitions are artful; the phrasing is tight, fresh, and highly specific; the sentence structure is varied; the tone enhances the purposes of the paper. Finally, the ACS paper, because of its careful organization, development, and logic imparts a sense of completeness and unusual clarity. An ACS paper is highly instructive for other (and future) members of the course; as a result, it is publishable.
B Grade Papers = MET COURSE STANDARDS (MCS)
This paper is more than competent. In addition to being almost free of mechanical error, the MCS paper gives the reader substantial information of quantity, interest, and scholarly value. Its specific points are logically ordered, well developed, and unified around an organizing principle that is clear. The opening paragraph draws the reader in; the closing paragraph is both conclusive and thematically related to the opening. The transitions between paragraphs are for the most part smooth and the sentence structures pleasingly varied. The diction of the MCS paper is typically much more concise and precise than found in the BCS paper. Occasionally, it even shows distinctiveness and finesse. Overall, an MCS paper makes the reading experience pleasurable, one that offers substantial information with few distractions.
C Papers = BELOW COURSE STANDARDS (BCS)
The paper is generally competent. It meets the assignment, has few mechanical errors, and is reasonably well organized and developed. The actual information-content is either thin and commonplace or made to seem so. The ideas are vague generalities; they prompt the reader in some confusion to ask margin questions “In every case or why or how or how many…? How do we know this?” Stylistically, the BCS paper has shortcomings as well: the opening paragraph does little to draw in the reader; the final paragraph offers only a perfunctory wrap-up; the transitions between paragraphs are often bumpy; the sentences, while choppy, follow a predictable (and monotonous) subject-verb-object pattern; and the diction is occasionally marred by unconscious repetitions, redundancy, and imprecision. The BCS paper gets the job done but lacks imagination and intellectual rigor; rereading would be a chore.
D Papers = UNACCEPTABLE EFFORT (UE). Not Graduate Level Work.
The paper’s treatment and development of the subject, though promising, are yet only rudimentary. The organization is neither clear nor effective. Sentences are frequently awkward, ambiguous, and marred by serious mechanical error. Evidence of careful proofreading is scanty, if non-existent. The whole piece gives the impression of having been conceived and written in haste.